Bose - SoundLink Flex (1st Gen)

[these speakers are nice for riding](https://www.bose.com/p/speakers/bose-soundlink-flex-bluetooth-speaker/SLFLX-SPEAKERWIRELESS.html?dwvar_SLFLX-SPEAKERWIRELESS_color=CHILLED%20LILAC&quantity=1)

I use my Bose Soundlink Flex when I'm in the Hot Tub.

Bose Max for $225 (taking advantage of the tricks), two Bose Flex for under $200, or two Klipsch Nashvilles for $200 on Amazon. I'd go with 2 Nashvilles. I own all of these after trying over 30 BT speakers

I have $20k sound system so Bluetooth speakers are toys. I prefer headphones on the go. But if I want to watch a movie or music outside on the dinner table, I'll go for something nimble like the WonderBoom 4 or Emberton 2. In one room inside the house, I have an Acton 3 that destroys anything in it's realm. In my wife's office I have a Bose Flex for her YouTube vids. When on it's back, the EQ really opens it up! Otherwise it's returnable in my eyes. I also have a Soundcore x600 when I want heavier sound outside. I have neighbors so it live in the 50% volume of below. M Since it has great bass in this volume range, is very satisfying. If you can tell from my selections, I need an "clear open" sound that doesn't have louder bass driving out the higher and mids... Which is the trickery many these Bluetooth toys try to fool you in. With my selections above (I've tried many!), I can tolerate the BT sound. But since I have a plenthora of Ferrari audiophile speakers, it's difficult to go back to a junker. I have to truck my mind into submission. LOL.

Black Friday is around the corner so BETTER speakers than the Sony will be on sale. I've tried and compared EVERY speaker mentioned thus far in this thread. The problem with the Sony is that it has veiled mids. which is UNFIXABLE with the app's EQ. So it's not the clearest most open sounding speaker in its tier for older ears (good bass though). Plus, it's fugly for the interior. For clarity and open soundedness, long battery, and classier "home aesthetics" at around the price you seek (\~$100), I'd recommend either the Marshall Emberton 2 ($100 or cheaper for BF) or Klipsch Nashville ($119 or cheaper for BF). Between the two, the Klipsch is a little fuller sounding due to its slightly bigger size and also has more features, like a mic and ability to pair two units in stereo, and a better EQ in its app than the Marshall. Any mother would be fine with either. Both get loud enough (SAME sound front & back end) and CLEAR enough for older ears. Lastly, you can stand them on its end for a smaller footprint on a kitchen or dining table....something you can't do with boomboxes or the Bose Flex which is paperback shaped. It's INVALUBLE to have the SMALLEST footprint on a crowded table! [https://youtu.be/ykwgesgYo5M?si=4npjoWQSdsQLNG86](https://youtu.be/ykwgesgYo5M?si=4npjoWQSdsQLNG86)

I have so of them minus the Beats Pill. The overwhelming consensus on this one is that if you stay within the 50% volume range, it'll sound great but as you go up in volume the sound starts to break and sound terrible. From the others, the best is the Bose Flex. The sound is more "closed" standing up, but it's beauty is that its EQ changes completely when on its back (position #2). The speaker opens up and the highs come out. It sounds great! So much so that it actually sounds like a real speaker. It's sound never breaks up at any volume and has enough low end to be satisfying (movies or music) and It just sounds"right". It's BT lag is the best in the business so you will have voices sync when watching videos. It's also hard a great mic for calls. And I can't believe it's from Bose because I can't stand the brand! The JBL Flip and Sony don't sound "right". The Sony may be louder and bassier but even with its EQ, the sound never sounds right. The mids and highs always sound like a blanket has been put over it. The Flip may sound more right than the Sony but sounds hollow in the middle when you put it up against the Bose's balance. Just remember that the Bose sounds great on it's belly, but standing up, sounds closed like the Sony. The Bose goes on sale constantly so try to catch it at $109 or even better come Black Friday. I grabbed the Filp and Sony for $99 but again didn't compete against the openness and balance of the Bose!

The very highly rated Marshall Acton 3 is the most balanced. I got it at for $179 Target clearance last week. It absolutely destroyed everything I had! (Soundcore x600, Bose Flex, Flip 6, Charge 5, Sony ULT Field 1, W-King 10). The bass is strong, right, deep, and the mids/highs doing get drowned out with volume. It's loud and even balanced across its volume range. This IS a speaker. The rest are toys that peter out with more volume

Ya. That silicone really attracts dust and hair at the first second on the black color. This is the same as the Flex. It's best to have a different color to hide that better.

Highs and mids definitely sound as if a cloth is on it, regardless of the EQ. The Charge 5 is a more "right" sounding speaker. And in this category, I'd put the Bose Flex over both. Sounds good at any volume and holds its bass without muddling the highs. You have to put the Bose on its back though for the EQ change. Having it stand upright, takes it a step down in clarity.

The magic happens when you get 2 Flex's linked in stereo mode. The fullness really jumps out BEYOND what you would expect from adding a 2nd speaker.

Highly unlikely as the Max was released rather recently. If the more popular Flex is an example, you'll have to wait many, many years. As for 2 Flex's, it sounds better than 1 Max. There's a video of this on YT. https://youtu.be/z9WRoB3TIGM?si=e-4BqjwzeFLWYtn2 The stereo effect kicks in from spreading the sheets out and it's more room filling.

I just got the Bose Soundlink Flex for $99 new from Bose directly— and used Rakuten with 10% back. Felt it was a good deal. Sound is very crisp, decent bass response, has a mic. It punches above its size. I plan to take it to the beach, on the water, to work, and on trips. The size (flex) is early designed to do a little of everything. And did I mention it sounds great? There are other great choices in the comments as well, but this is what I chose and I like it.

If the loudness works for your needs… I’m a huge fan of Bose Soundlink Flex for just taking with you anywhere and for sound quality

The Bose Flex does have clean not bass boosted sound. I have heard the Marshall Emberton III is a good one too..I just have not heard it myself. I did see that Best Buy does have a demo model currently. You used to have to order Marshall speakers from the warehouse.

The Bose Flex seems to have the best broad spectrum sound. Edifier makes some good quality speaker the are powered by a electrical cord, but they connect to devices by BT or optical or rca inputs. Bose Soundlink Max may be a bit better than flex.

The larger ones can handle a bit more volume. The Bose Flex seems to hold its quality at 75% of max volume. So, if you can return it easily the flex is worth trying

I have liked the Wonderboom that I bought during Covid. I like its softball size. It is super easy carry or put on a small desk while working The Bose Flex is a great sounding small speaker. I did get a chance to hear recently both the JBL Flip 6 and Sony Ult 1 they both sounded really good . The Soundcore Motion 300 and Glow both sound quite good. The Glow has a 360 sound design similar to the the ue Wonderboom or boom 4. (edited to fix grammar).

Bose Soundlink Flex and SoundLink Max are both good speakers. I heard the JBL flip 6 recently. It did sound good.

I tried several small speakers at Best Buy. The clarity of the Bose Flex is impressive. I have the UE Wonderboom. It has nice clarity too.

I have had a chance to try most of these. I would think the Bose Flex sounds the best. The Ult 1 and JBL both sound good, but the Bose sounds perhaps .5 pts out of 10 points better. David the Cnet editor thought Soundcore 300 was almost as good as the Bose. I tried the Ult 1 recently at Walmart: very nice. It was a good value of sound quality v. price.

Supposedly, the Bose is best at very high volumes. David Carnoy of CNET.com does good speaker reviews. He liked the Bose partially because of accuracy at high volumes. He thought Soundcore 300, JBL flip 6, Tribit (forgot the particular 1) are very good in tier 2. Edit Stormbox Flow above

The UE Wonderboom 4 sounds great with all kinds all kinds of music including classical. The Bose Flex is another really balanced speaker. I have heard the Soundcore 300 sounds good with non bassy music. I just have not tried that at home. David the Cnet editor said soundcore 300 sounds non bass boosted. I bought some headphones based on his recommendations. His sound recommendations were accurate for me. Just have not heard the 300.

Anything priced at 99 will sound better. Bose Flex, JBL Flip for small. JBL Charge, Sonos Roam, Marshall Emberton, Sony Ult 1 a bit bigger. I like the Wonderboom for small size and nice midrange sound: non bass head.

I bought the Wonderboom 2 during covid, and I enjoyed as it plays everything good from jazz, classical to classic rock (Pearl Jam, Rem, and everything in between). It does sound like the Bose Flex and the Sonos small speaker are a bit better in overall sound quality. I did the order online pick your stuff up in the parking lot during Covid but have enjoyed it. The JBL Charge and Flip are super popular so cannot go wrong with those either.

I think technically Bose Flex is the absolute best sounding small personal speaker. The JBL Flip 6 is a great sounding speaker. To me, it sounded better than the prior model the Flip 5. I do like speakers with small footprints personally. I do like the Flip and Charges from JBL and the Wonderboom and Boom from UE because of the small footprint.

Dont thats just shit suggestion. Look into tribit bro or if you push your budget bose soundlink flex is dope just got it for 10-11k

X300 is what I would say without context and my idea of "mini". Bose Soundlink Flex if you can go to what I consider "small". JBL clip if you need something I consider "micro"

Bose Sounlink Flex has been rated as one of the best Bluetooth speakers in its weight class consistently for a hot minute. I would lean towards the Bose if they were the same price and not think twice if it was $50 cheaper and almost 1/2 off the retail price. Also it has AUX in while the pill does not.

How often are you using AUX and when you are, is a medium sized portable Bluetooth speaker really the best solution, or should you be looking at a static 2.1 stereo system? There is no champion of every category but the flex is really solid and go read reviews outside Reddit to double check because the hivemind is real. The Bose sound link max has an aux port but it's $300-400. It's good but that's 2-3x the price and I am curious what use case you have where AUX is that important in situations where a stereo system wouldn't be viable, because there is no contest about which would sound better.

I have a bose flex, dont recon much too it tbh, it's ok for the size but not much better than my bose soundlink micro which I prefer because it has volume lights and is alot smaller

The bose isnt bad at all. There plenty out there that actually sound bad. Also its the only thing i've no latency issues or connection issues. Every jbl i've had has had Bluetooth issues, latency, and broken on me. With bose i've never had a single peice of equipment fail on me since my first acoustimass back in the day

I agree as well. I dont experience any distortion at max volumes. Can vary on audio sample quality as well.

I find the Bose to be most pleasing of anything available in the market and did not hear any distortion when testing it thoroughly - waiting for some discount on this side of the world before I buy it !

I have been finding this to be troublesome while hunting for a new speaker I have an oootz speaker that’s cheap and does the job as well as a old Bose one but most speakers being sold don’t have aux ):

Agreed! I think the Flip 6 is just great value and a really solid all around speaker. I do really like the Soundlink Flex - it sounds excellent.

I love JBL, but BOSE sounds cleaner and better by a fairly large margin.

At that price the best can be anything, do you care about size? Bose flex max if not Sony ult 7 Or a big jbl with wheels up to you

for me its was the best small portable speaker loud and nice

Bose SoundLink. I have a iPhone 11. Smooth Wi-Fi connect. Great for room and shower use on the daily. Ambient sound in like a group setting.

Bose flex… it sounds so much bigger than it is

Bose flex bro… If you like bass that is the one cus this little thing slaps And everything else sounds great too SO GOOD!

Bose flex is sooo good

Harman Kardon Luna > Bose Flex

Give it a try. I have both. Luna is an all rounder. Flex is good for music but not for podcasts

The Motion 300 is a decent shout, but it's only IPX7, so you're not going to get that the dustproofing. And the grille design makes it a bit hard to clean dust out from. The Clip series is decent back lacks quality compared to the slightly larger speakers. I'd personally recommend the Bose SoundLink Flex or the new SoundLink Max. Those SoundLinks have some of the more durable speakers I've handled.

This is true , I did some crazy experiment swapping the Bose mini passive radiators into the flex ( the passive radiators are of same form but a different design) though the passive radiators of the mini were much heavier than that of the flex.....result; the flex could barely drive them haha , I was expecting that the bigger speaker driver in the flex would be more capable of driving the mini's radiators but was surprised to see it couldn't and with my experience of speaker designs the conclusion is that the tiny Bose mini speakers have some tremendous power to be able to drive those radiators and also that Bose has been tuning down how deep the speakers can reach in terms of bass performance....the flex sounds clearer than the mini but the mini has deeper more powerful bass than the flex but the disadvantage of such heavy radiators is that at higher volumes the dsp will bloat/reduce the bass depth to prevent distortion , this is where the flex has the upper hand , the less heavy radiator will make for a better controlled bass response at higher volumes

If you're currently using the SoundLink mini 2 then I'm afraid nothing on the market can produce such powerful bass as it does and be that small , maybe the SoundLink flex comes close but nothing pretty much

Soundlink Mini 2 is great but I could never pair it. Got 2 flex speakers and paired together with about 3 or 4 foot spacing in stereo mode the sound is really really great.

I've both. imho flex does sound better.

Max is debated because the increase in price is not proportional to increase in performance. The soundlink flex is more affordable and sounds great and hits a sweet spot. The max is still a better speaker for most people, but it’s hard for performance to scale linearly after a certain point.

I hope party mode won't be to far away! I'm thinking of replacing my revolve 2+'s with two flex Max's for camping. They could be a nice sweet spot, more bass than revolve 2+ and easier to transport than my S1 pro's. 🙏🏻

Side by side the flex and max are pretty similar. The Max though can pressurize my office at 30% volume, which I did not expect. Also, the stereo imaging is surprisingly pronounced, especially when sitting directly across from the speaker. The sweet spot seems to be about 70%, and anything after that loses some clarity and bass, however, 70% is pretty damn loud. If you have a Bose Portable Home Speaker, the output is pretty similar, but the max is way more detailed and doesn’t rely on positioning. 

If space is a concern for camping, 2 regular flex’s might be the better idea. The Max is pretty wide, though it will project sound way further & louder than the Flex.

The flex still is very impressive for its size. The max is just way clearer and the bass response is night and day better. The flex still hits pretty low if it reflects off a wall in a smaller room. The Max is clearer, has actually noticeable stereo separation, and much, much deeper bass response. The Max, however, won’t replace the flex for me. The fact that I can slide the flex into my backpack’s outer pocket makes it still the perfect speaker to bring camping. 

Reminds me of the Big JamBox I bought in 2012 for $300, so perhaps $400 isn’t too far off the mark today. The Big JamBox also had great bass and sounded bigger than it was. I still have it, although don’t use it much as the battery is worn and it’s not all that portable. Today I primarily use the SoundLink Flex, which I really like. I look forward to trying the Max.

I like my Bose Flex. Great sound for the size, better than my Wonderboom. My Big JamBox from many years ago is still the king for me—although its battery has faded a lot, it still packs a punch.

Thanks for the detailed response. I guess I will stick with my Flex for a moment. The price of Max is hard pill to swallow.

Just bought two flexes. While not the same, it achieved more of what I was looking for. I’d still like to get a WiiM + True Minis + a powered sub one day. For now, this is the best bet for $250.

I have to say that, for as much as I love the Bose speakers I own, battery drain is far more noticeable than with other brands I own. My Bang & Olufsen speakers have the absolute least battery drain while idle; JBL is great for power retention, too.

No, you have no idea what you're talking about. The Bose Flex has a standby battery drain issue. It'll eat 30% a week

What speaker do you guys use to blast your favorite wall of noise? I’m using a Bose Soundlink Flex atm and it’s not the worst, but it’s also kind of ass. Anything technical or complex is a muddy mess, and if you have highs and blast beats it clips the audio pretty hard. I’d love some recommendations or just to hear what you’re using and if you like it. I’ve almost bought one of the giant boombox sized ones several times but I really need something that I can get up a wind turbine without much fuss. It sucks that there are a lot of speakers that play popular music quite well so no one is going to market for our niche. EDIT: If anyone comes across this thread looking for recommendations I got a JBL Extreme 4 and it fucks hard. Very good sound quality at all volumes, both on battery and plugged in. Lasts forever, gets extremely loud in any kind of enclosed area. Sounds good in the open as well. I’m no audiophile but if Slice the Cake and The Mars Volta sound good on a speaker imo it has enough dynamic range for basically anything. I also got a JBL Clip 5 to clip on my harness when I won’t be up tower for long and it’s far from perfect but incredibly surprising for the size.

I like my Bose Soundlink Flex. It might be loud enough for that situation. I got mine on sale for $99. I chose it over JBL and the impressive Ultimate Ear Wonderboom speakers.

May I suggest a stereo setup. Two bose soundlink flex or one flex paired with one revolve plus 2. Sounds heavenly. The later option is amazing to experience. Flex has good bass and miss, revolve spreads sound in all directions. Both paired together in stereo mode produces not just powerful sound but quality sound as well.

Idk if this is really the place for this question but I sorta like the JBL Bluetooth speakers. But I have a Bose portable one (surprisingly) that I really like too.

Minirig speakers have phenomenal autonomy, good quality/loudness for their size, and way above average durability. I don't own one, only a soundlink flex, which is also very good, but autonomy might be a downside for your use case.

I have both. I got the Flex for $109 and the much larger Max for $380. Sure the Max is louder, has more bass, better Bluetooth and an AUX input. But the Flex has it's own features and less annoyances that it's hard to accept the much higher price of the Max. Here is why the Flex is better: 1. **The Soundlink Flex has a microphone**. The Soundlink Max does not. 2. **The Soundlink Flex can be turned on from your phone!** When I'm in bed, I can turn on the speaker from a distance using just my phone. For the Flex, I go to the *Bose Connect app* and slide down the icon to turn the speaker on. However the regular *Bose app* of the Soundlink Max does not allow this. I must manually press the power button on the Soundlink Max to turn it on. 3. **The Soundlink Flex has no white noise.** On the Flex, there is white noise after pausing music but it disappears after 5 seconds and the speaker is completely silent. But for the Soundlink Max, after you pause music, white noise remains indefinitely, and it is noticeably loud when your room is super quiet and your ears are near the speaker. For those who don't know, white noise is the background noise the speaker makes when the speaker is on but not playing sound. It can be annoying for some people. 4. **The Soundlink Flex has accurate battery readings.** The Flex has an accurate battery update at all times. But for some reason, the Soundlink Max has a delayed battery reading. I can play music for hours and the battery level on the Max remains at 100% from day to night, giving me a false impression that the battery is that good. But the next day, when I turn the Soundlink Max back on, that is when the battery reading adjusts itself and the 100% battery from the previous night suddenly drops down to like 60% in the morning. Why aren't people who own both speakers pointing these things out?

The battery and especially sound quality is beyond amazing. But it’s just the little things and annoyances about it that make it hard to justify over the flex. I only want to keep one speaker and I think I’m leaning towards returning the max and keeping the flex. I purchased from Bose so I have 90 days to decide.

Bought it refurbished directly from Bose website. However even then it is going for around $130 at the moment.

It’s okay and works. But nothing special about it.

I tested the 2024 Beats Pill against the Bose Soundlink Flex thoroughly. They both have the same loudness. Most accurate way of measuring this is to see which you can hear farthest away. The Beats pill can play at a lower starting frequency of 35 hertz while the Bose Flex can only play starting at 45 hertz. The Bose Flex has more bass and it is especially noticeable at high to maximum volume. At max volume, the pill has very little bass and lots of sound distortion which is a complete turn off for me. The Flex at max volume still has thumpy bass and less distortion. Overall the Bose sounds warmer and has more bass due to lack of tweeter but presence of passive radiators. And the Pill sounds brighter and lack bass at higher volume due to presence of tweeter but lack of passive radiators. Summary: Bose sounds warmer, has more bass, and distorts less at max volume. Pill sounds brighter, has less bass, distorts more at max volume and plays lower frequencies. I ended up keeping my Bose flex and returning the Beats pill.

The pill is not louder. You probably felt that way because of the highs of the trebles due to the presence of the tweeters. But overall volume, the pill and flex have the same loudness. And the bass of the pill is almost nonexistent at 100% volume whereas the flex still has noticeable bass at 100% and that makes sense because the Flex has passive radiators which help play the lows. I tested this myself. For dance music and edm, which I listen to a lot also, it sounds so much better with more bass. And Flex has much more bass especially at max volume. However the treble isn't as crisp as the Pill offers because the Flex lacks tweeters. But I actually find the less crispy treble, aka "warm" sound of the Bose more pleasant on the ears. I ended up keeping the Bose instead.

Beats can play lower frequencies, has more treble(the highs) but more distortion at max volume Bose has less treble which gives it a warm signature but honestly that sounds really good and pleasant to the ears. It also has more bass and less distortion at max volume. I ended up keeping up the Bose because the bass is a big factor for me. I didn't really care for the highs that the Beats offered. Plus I think the Bose sounds more musical as in it makes music sound very pleasing.

Wondering now if your stance still applies? I have the Bose Flex and the Bose Portable Smart Speaker (successor to the revolve+ II 360 w.e.?) I hardly use the smart speaker and it always has connection issues or drained battery. Usually keep it plugged in to avoid that. The flex has been good for my needs. Looking at getting the Sound Link Max to replace the Smart Speaker. Any thoughts? 

Have a pair of Harmon Kardon Luna’s and absolutely love them. I had bought two Bose flex’s, two beats pills, and pair of jbl charges - surprisingly the Luna sounded the best and was smaller than the charge - returned the other speakers

I compared Bose SoundLink, Jbl charge 5, Jbl flip 6, Soundcore Motion X600, Klipsch Nashville and HK luna. I chose Luna from all. The best balanced sound for this price range. I found JBL highs to harsh, bose pretty good but not so open , Klipsch missing any lows, and Soundcore...I liked it but when I listened side by side with Luna...well..I ended up with Luna :)

I also owned both and returned the X600 after using both for 30 days indoor and outdoor. My EARS and those of my guests are the basis. X600 needs tweaking when genre changes - not consistent in SQ. No need to tweak on the sound link, sounds great at all volumes

Bose for sound, undisputed champion in the small size. The Klipsch Nashville also has lots recommending its sound is on par with the Bose - have not heard myself. Marshall for cool factor. JBL if you want the heaviest bass. In a perfect world the Bose sound with the Marshall look! Any of the three are solid choices. Nobody in their right mind would recommend the earfun unless you read the comment section on reddit….lots of paid ad posters with links here.

Undisputed by who? Most ppl never heard of minirig, and they are unreliable. EVERYBODY knows the Bose ROCKS at its pricepoint/size.

Probably your best bet if you dont need to max your budget is something between the bose flex and the soundcore x600. I’ve Read a lot good about the ultimate ears boom but never saw one. Today I’ve actually bought one Sony xb-100: it’s good enough. For indoor is enough powerful for when I’m alone (main use) and for a room with 4/6 people. Only “issue” I had was the sound too thin when i first turned it on. Really too thin. i went on spotify settings and i noticed it had reduced bass EQ, after i put boosted bass it’s great. I like to have a smaller speaker than the JBL flip since most of the times i wouldnt need that and it’s half the size and weight. But it’s a 25€ speaker. I could easily buy another orange one in the future to just swap em when one is low battery or to pair em for stereo. But if I didnt wanted a small speaker to just trash around I would went straight to the x600 imo. Anyway, the best one for 300 is probably the bose max.

I use the Bose Soundlink Flex for listening in the shower. It sounds pretty good after setting the bass to -10 and the mids and highs to 4/6. I don't know why all Bluetooth speakers are so bass-oriented it sounds awful

There no such thing as a best brand, as they have different strength. Bose has some of the best size to sound ratio speakers with the flex and the max, but they are expensive and lacking features. JBL is always good and the leading brand and they are very consistent in their products , while e.g Sony is very inconsistent but innovative and sometimes they have better features for a cheaper price, plus they have the best pairing system. And then there are those chinese brands like soundcore and tribit who deliver a lot sound for price with newest hardware also.

Yes, relative to the size. Not as good as the flex though.

Well then your choices are valid options. The charge 4 has an aux in and very low latency, but the charge5 has improved sound against the 4 or the flex (more pronounced detailed highs) Flex is the smallest and cutest, though.

The soundlink flex has a tonne of bass and has a warmer profile, so for audiobooks and meditation music etc is not a good fit. Will make everything sound dull and dark.

You can go for the beats pill or Bose SoundLink flex on sale or the flex gen 2, Bose SoundLink max if u have the budget, also bass is the worst on Marshall, complete joke for bass.

Bose SoundLink flex 2

Bose SoundLink flex is good.

Treble is fairly recessed in flex. It may help high tone sensitive listeners like OP. Also it's the mid bass that's prominent in flex , not the sub bass.

I agree with the other replies that two speakers are better than one. It depends on how big you are willing to carry around. My favorite that I've settled on is the Soundcore Boom 2. Although it is slightly larger than my idea size for a portable speaker, the handle makes it easy to move around. In my opinion it is just about the perfect balance of size, clarity, and bass for a portable speaker. It has great sound and great bass (even outside). It just won't fit in a small spot. For a smaller speaker, I would recommend the Earfun Uboom L or the Soundcore Motion 300 or the Bose Soundlink Flex. Again, a pair of these in stereo will get the best most room filling sound. All of these are small and easy to carry and easy to place anywhere. If you just want one speaker, I would recommend the Tribit Stormbox Blast or the Earfun Uboom X. They both sound great, with full sound, clarity, and deep bass. But they are huge! Probably not easily carried from room to room, but that that is your decision to make. The Soundcore Boom 2 would be good as a single speaker too, with a smaller size, but it won't sound quite as good as these other two.

I've found that bang for buck if you don't need portability comes from soundbars with bluetooth subwoofers. You don't get portability, but they connect pretty easily and they're getting pretty cheap. You'll need to plug in to an outlet for the main unit and another outlet to power the sub. If you need portability, I've found the Bose soundlink sounds great at low volumes. I like the jbl xtreme 3 for big volume and outdoor activities, but it's not great at low volumes. Waterproof speakers lose some clarity at low volumes.

The Bose SoundLink Flex is small, but it puts out a surprisingly decent amount of sound and the bluetooth syncs easily to your device. It's on sale now for $129.

Bose soundlink is a good option. A little out of your price range, but worth checking out IMO.

Yeah, I have the old soundlink and I have no issues with it. I can only imagine the new version is the same if not better.

yeah, can't argue with that. If the budget wasn't an issue, I would've bought the Flex without a second thought.

I saved up and bought the Bose Soundlink Flex.

i ended up buying the bose soundlink flex after saving up a bit

It's a bit more expensive than the others in the segment but totally worth it.

Thanks for pointing out this has no Wi-Fi. I didn’t really look too much into this yet, but this is a big bummer as I thought it was the new home portable. I really feel like they don’t know what the hell they’re doing at Bose anymore. We’re going to call something a home speaker and not give it Wi-Fi only Bluetooth? I mean, wouldn’t I just get a Bose flex?

Yeah, at least make it work with airplay and Google casting. I don’t know that we need Bose to have Pandora in the app like a Sonos type thing. Just having airplay and casting would’ve been, I think good enough! This just blows my mind I could have two flexes for way less money And have better battery life.

Bose Flex. Unless we are talking purely bass loudness. Bose flex bass is not very loud but it is enough for the size and application. Bose has the best sound quality in my opinion.

Go and blindly buy bose flex

Yes. The low end bass of bose flex is really good. I have a tribit blast. Soundcore motion plus and soundcore x600 too. But bose flex is my favorite in terms of low end bass, warm vocals and highs too. The separation is also the best amongst these. Tribit blast is the most powerful, but i still get the best clear bass on my bose flex. PS: I don't have experience with marshal speakers, so I cannot comment on that

I too listen music at night right before i sleep on my Flex. No negatives there as well. The only drawback with bose flex is that the loudness will not suffice if you want to use it outdoors. But if indoors is your use case, Flex is the best

Last week I compared a JBL charge 5 and Bose sound link flex side by side. Charge 5 was much 'fuller' sounding and made the sound link feel a bit muffled.

Most portable bluetooth speakers like the Flip are mono, but can be paired to a similar model from the manufacturer to create a party mode (both mono) or stereo mode. Stereo mode can really wake up these smaller speakers but come at a cost of buying 2. Bose recently released the Bose SoundLink Max which is stereo, but also cost more than 2 Soundlink Flex speakers which are presently my favourites. Another issue with a stereo speaker in a small form is the lack of stereo separation with the speakers so close to each other. I haven't listened to a Soundlink Max but I would go more for 2 Flexes for better sounding stereo since you can separate the individual speakers for a wider stereo sound stage.

I have them. They’re cool to show off to your friends right up until the moment that you turn them on. They have zero depth, zero bass, and really aren’t that loud. My Bose SoundLink sounds 1000x better and is much louder. You’ll get better sound from just turning on your stereo and rolling down the windows. I was highly disappointed. I don’t have any connectivity issues like a lot of people. As soon as I drop the gate, it turns on and immediately starts playing music from my phone. I really wouldn’t spend the money unless you hear one in person and decide it’s worth it. Because it’s not.

Using an old Bose sound link Bluetooth speaker when I need more sound that the mini provides.

I’ve got a Bose Soundlink, worth every penny.

Budget speakers might get really loud but the expensive ones offer better quality and balance. If you plan using your speaker strictly for outdoor, go with a cheap one. For indoors premium ones are better. I'm currently using a Sony ult field 1. Bose soundlink flex is a great choice too. But it's sound is little less compared to sony. Simple rule(applies to most speakers) Under 5k - outdoor speakers. 5k -10- mix use. 10-20k- indoor. >20k depends on model.

I really liked my boom 2, I only retired it bc the battery was pretty degraded after years of daily use. I’d imagine the newer versions are decent as well. Right now, I have a Bose soundlink flex I bought refurbished directly from Bose for like $120. I’ve been really surprised how much I like it. I bought it after being really disappointed with the JBL flip and charge I tried out

I have both the Beats pill and the Bose soundlink flex. Design wise, I like the look of the pill more than the flex due to the size and shape although the flex doesn’t look bad at all and is almost as portable as the pill. They both have ways to be hung as well (the pill has the removable lanyard and the flex has the utility loop). The pill’s battery is twice as long as the flex (pill lasts for 24hrs at 50% volume compared to the flex’s 12hr battery life) and can be used as a power bank (the flex can’t charge other devices). Sound wise, they both sound really good but there are some differences. The pill is louder and clearer with powerful bass even at 50% (the bass can be less noticeable at 75% or higher), while the flex is more subdue and not as bright. That’s because the pill has both a woofer and a tweeter so there’s better sound separation and better mids and highs compared to the flex. The flex uses a single transducer and dual passive radiator setup. This makes the pill better for hip-hop, rock, and EDM music while the flex may be better for classical and contemporary music. That doesn’t mean that the flex doesn’t sound bad with hip-hop and rock music. It does great with those genres, just not as well as the pill. And did I mention that you can use the pill for wired lossless audio via usb-c. I personally prefer the beats pill, but the pill and the flex are both great speakers. It’s just a matter of preference between the vibrant Beats pill or the sophisticated Bose soundlink flex. If neither suits you, the alternatives would be the following: JBL Flip 6/Charge 5, Marshall Emberton 2, Sonos Roam 2, UE Boom 4, and the Sony ULT Field 1

I have both. I got the pill yesterday and the bass is deeper on the pill but music with strings sounds more detailed on the flex. The pill gets significantly louder and doesn’t sound compressed even at 100% whereas the bass on the flex is compressed past 70% for me. There’s not an EQ for either but it depends on what your purpose for the speaker is and what genres of music you listen to. I have no preference between the two at the moment.

Flip 6 and Bose SoundLink are both excellent options, but for me personally, after owning both, I’ll go for the Bose. Deeper bass and clarity.

I got a Bose Soundlink Flex a few months ago that I really enjoy

Bose Soundlink. I am notoriously bad about not taking care of things and them falling apart or breaking. These things are indestructible, provide bose sound and all three of mine link together despite the fact that my oldest one is 13 years old. I love them.

I’ve owned the 300, and have a pair of Flex 2s I got on sale. If money is tight, the 300 is a good alternative to the Bose Flex. I also have a pair of Stormbox Micro 2s as well. Paired…they beat a solo 300, but not the Flex. I still love them for sound, portability, and cost.

It comes down to price. I have several high-end BT/WiFi speakers that I picked up on eBarf, locally, and Amazon Used—Excellent sales, so I'd use that as a factor. I got my Beosound A1 G2 for $99. It's brilliant, and this is my third one (I gave the other two to my family). I got my Dali Katch G2 from Amazon UK two years ago on sale for $250. (I'm in SF, though.) This feels like the best bang for your buck for its size, weight, and cost. It uses the Blumlein Effect well and is terrific, **even at low volumes.** My other favorite, which is no longer made, is the UrbanEars Rålis. This sucker puts out more bass than some bookshelf speakers (like AudioEngine's smaller speakers). It's a big, red, square purse of a speaker and does get loud when needed. My Bose Soundlink Flex is the unsung hero, though. It's my travel speaker (I travel a lot), portable go-to on the beach, and noise machine using an app on my iPhone. I got it on sale for $99, and I LOVE it. For WiFi speakers, I have HomePods and HomePod minis, along with a Sonos Ray linked to Apple TV. The icing on the cake is a new-to-me factory refurb Bowers & Wilkenson Formation Wedge. It is not portable at all, but it is the best-sounding AIO speaker I have ever heard. I'm likely going to buy the new BraneAudio speaker, though, just to see how it compares. I'll post a review of that next month.

I have WAY too many BT & WiFi/AirPlay speakers, and I can tell you from experience the Soundlink Flex sounds better in all situations than the Sonos Roam. They both sound better than the Soundlink Mini 2...I gave mine away to a friend on another sailboat. I live on a boat as well, with 4 different levels, so keeping the music flowing works best using Apple AirPlay hooked up to my Apple TV and streaming music from one of its apps. Your choices of decent BT speakers under $200 is pretty wide open. Maybe start here: [https://www.dxomark.com/speakers/](https://www.dxomark.com/speakers/) NOTE: I have the B&W Formation Wedge in my office (my enclosed flybridge) that I picked up as a factory refurb on eBarf. The sound quality is ASTOUNDING. Is it portable, though? Barely...the beast weighs 15 pounds or so. BUT...WOW!

I think you know which one has the most bass 😉 1. JBL Boombox 3 2. Bose Portable Smart Speaker 3. Ultimate Ears Epicboom 4. Ultimate Ears Megaboom 5. Sonos Roam 6. Bose Soundlink Flex 7. Sony SRS-XB12

Yeah, wondering the same about the Roam being over Flex. I have 2 Flex’s, no Roams.

Both are good choices. Size wise, the Flip 6 is slightly more portable given its cylindrical shape. Both sound good but in different ways — Flex has a boosted bass and warmer sound (typical of Bose audio signature), Flip is more neutral and a little less bass. Features are on par with each other where it counts, though the JBL app has better custom EQ. One thing to consider is party mode — if her friends have the same brand, they can party up their speakers which makes it sound way better and more fun. I think this would be your main consideration. Good luck!

Flex takes it easily. Better mids, better upperbass. Flip 6 is louder, but pushes mostly highs and upper mids which makes it a little scratchy

From the Roam that I had, I liked how the midrange and highs sounded, but the bass is very weak if I compare it to my SoundLink Flex or the Flip 6, and it loses bass at higher volumes of 60%, which is more noticeable. The other negative thing is the battery life, in my case it only lasted 6 hours at 50% volume. If you want it to last longer, you have to deactivate the microphone and you lose Trueplay and the voice assistant.

I have 2 of these for a few months now, they sound amazing for the price and look good too. I actually prefer the sound to flip 6, ult field 1, emberton 2 and sound link flex

Bose soundlink flex sounds great for me it produces warm sound that is nice for the ears

The Bose Flex is more versatile than the Flip 6, it supports voice assistants through your smartphone and is excellent at hearing your commands from far and in noisier settings. It can also produce a more extended low-bass than the JBL. It also has a slightly longer-lasting battery life, though this varies depending on your usage habits. That said, the JBL comes with a graphic EQ to tweak its sound to your liking and offers a slightly wider-sounding soundstage. Both are IP67 so outdoor capabilities are the same. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the initial review! You seem to be pretty much the only person I can find who is reviewing this product early. I almost bought two of the flex’s for stereo mode but then saw this was dropping and decided it’s maybe best to wait for this. I don’t mind the price as I’ve had a Bose Micro for 3+ years and use it almost everyday. I’m expecting this to be a significant upgrade lmao… Please keep posting your thoughts / feelings / review findings regarding this speaker I’m extremely curious and will be following your content! Thanks.

First, the disclaimer. I receive products through a program with a major retailer to provide honest and unbiased reviews. I was given the opportunity to receive a Soundlink Max and test it out. I have a Revolve+ (gen 1), the Flex, and now the Max, to use as comparisons. Quick initial impressions while I keep testing it out - the sound is much more full than either of the other speakers, which is expected. It is a stereo speaker and the sound stage, especially about 3-4 feet away, is huge. It sounds much wider than it is. Nice to not have to link two speakers to get stereo. Build quality is solid, although I still find it odd that Bose doesn’t cover the ports on a device designed for beach and splash. The analog input port in particular seems like a sand magnet. I have covers for both and will probably pop them in when outside. Audio is still where I’m testing and evaluating. It sounds better than both of the others by a pretty good margin, with a very full sound and more well rounded bass. In my initial listens I seem to hear an odd drop off in the mids probably around the crossover point between the tweeter and woofers. It sounds kind of like the tweeter can’t get that low and the woofer hasn’t picked up yet. Maybe a software tweak will correct that, or maybe it’s the tracks I have tested with so far and their encoding or mixes. I need to do some listening on a non-Bose speaker to see how that compares. It’s also very bright out of the box; I found that an eq of bass +5 and a treble of -1 or -2 seems to be more balanced for rocking outside. All of that said, it blows away the flex and revolve and I’m being picky as it is a $400 speaker. I’ll post some more thoughts as I continue to test.

The flex is the better choice in my opinion.. I bought mine 3 weeks ago and don’t go anywhere without it… great sound for such a small speaker

Bose sound flex is a fantastic little speaker r

I've got 2 Bose soundlink flex, they are small but have enough power and bass to fill a medium sized room. I got them refurbished through Bose and I think I paid like 100ish for each. I really enjoy them for the size and great sound. If you want to go bigger and have loads of bass, I'd go with the Tribit Stormbox blast, also ha e 2 of them and they are very loud and have tons of bass. For the money you prb won't find anything better. Plus they have insane battery life and if you like they have a LED light show, it kind of cool, kind of... For me not a selling point. I had 2 Jbl Xtreme 3s and returned them for the Stormbox. No competition what so ever. Soundcore makes some really cool stuff, don't have any of them yet....but from my research seems like the 600 is the one to go with.

i only have this one and its good

Bose sound link flex x2 or Bose Soundlink Max Or get two Fluance Signature Series bookshelves, a receiver and maybe a used BIC-F12 subwoofer but it should will be fine without

What size we talking??? Bose soundlink flex is a good option for bass and sound quality. Another option is the Motion 300. Sounds pretty good all around, but has distortion problems on certain tracks. JBL Charge 5 is also good as well, but maybe might be a bit pricey.

I totally agree. I got one of these Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth Portable Speakers. I loved it so much I bought another, just so I don't have to carry it between rooms. You won't regret this one.. It's not super HiFi, but it's perfect for background listening. Eg. Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth Portable Speaker, Wireless Waterproof Speaker for Outdoor Travel - Black https://amzn.asia/d/6gPiFR3

Soundlink Max OR 2 x Soundlink Flex in Stereo mode? I've tried many speakers such as Edifier R1280DB, R1700BT etc. but Soundlink Flex sounds something more special than any other, no idea why. Looking forward to buy 1 more to make it stereo.

I bought a certified refurbished one recently for 100 off Best Buy Canada. I’ve owned Bose soundflex before and tried a few speakers from Jbl, tribit etc. I found Bose to be best in terms of soothing/warm sound. I’ve been testing out x600 all day with a bunch of custom EQ from Reddit. I still haven’t been able to make them sound as warm as Bose since I feel it’s a physical restriction. Soundcore lacks that refined bass. That being said it sure is has a very crisp and balanced sound when playing .ogg files through a BTR 5. About the spatial audio, I was super excited to experience it but it’s mostly a gimmick. Just an additional upward facing driver which makes it sound a bit roomier but it’s not as strong. The speaker with spatial sound off are simply bad. Whereas Bass up just adds unrefined bass.

Knife sharpener is a game changer! I also bring my own coffee and I have a travel Aeropress. Generally, I also carry my Bose Flex speaker so I can have music in whatever room I’m in. It also doesn’t hurt to bring some laundry detergent pods if the place has a washer.

If portability, durability and sound clarity are your priorities, the SoundLink Flex is an excellent choice

I use a 3 point chest strap running bag [similar to this except I sewed my own 3rd strap on](https://getsprints.com/products/shadow-noir-sling-it-bag?variant=41000745369661¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxqayBhDFARIsAANWRnSP5qZ5n3yNfpcq-MSvfmfuP2mKA02xZzmA9OaZqNlg1WBUrSVwG5gaAq88EALw_wcB) and hang a Bose Flex from the joint with a little carabiner! However if I'm not going somewhere where I'll use the speaker or not on a group ride I'll usually just use Airpod Pros in passthrough mode which I highly recommend!

It has been a while that no one has posted posted Bose speakers here. Anyways I have finally bought a really good sounding bass Bose portable speaker. I said that because I have the soundlink color 2 and it sounds good but I needed something with better bass response in other songs. So I finally got the revolve + and it sounds amazing and since it’s used I bought for 65 bucks! Such a super deal when these be costing like 200 brand new! For the price I got it I’m very satisfied with the sound quality, bass, and 360 sound. I was impressed that even it was grade C used it was in very good condition even for the price. The only thing it has is a little tiny dent and it’s not even scratched. If y’all searching for a Bose portable speaker I go with the revolve + or the soundlink flex, the color 2 is good but not as bass heavy so I would rather get the soundlink flex.

I bought mine in 2018 and it's still my favorite speaker. the Soundlink Max is admittedly better in direct comparison (sounds somehow clearer and more refined) however the Revolve is more convenient in daily life due to is size and shape. It's also superior in settings where you place the speaker somewhere and then move around a lot Weirdly Bose has kinda abandoned the Revolve line even though the Flex series cannot match it (I've compared them too)

I was just deciding between JBL Flip 6 and Bose Soundlink Flex and got myself the Bose. I am more than satisfied with my choice. I use it mostly indoors, so I rarely go above 60 % volume, but I tried and it can be really loud too. It has a deep bass and a clean sound and if you prefer different EQ settings, the gen 2 has EQ in app.

Bose SoundLink Flex It gets surprisingly loud and has a nice balance of bass and treble.